Desperate Zimbabwe try a deal

Second innings: Heath Streak may return to the Zimbabwe team

By Peta Thornycroft in Harare

12:01AM BST 27 Apr 2004

Near terminal upheavals in Zimbabwe cricket are not over yet, despite an optimistic statement issued by the Zimbabwe Cricket Union late yesterday pledging independent mediation if 15 white players make themselves available immediately for selection.

This is a climbdown by the ZCU and a tacit admission that the rot in Zimbabwe cricket has gone far beyond any quick fix. It is an admittance that fundamental issues such as selection and the behaviour of some ZCU board members has to be addressed or the game is more or less over so far as Zimbabwe as a Test cricketing nation goes. On Sunday in their match with Sri Lanka, the team were dismissed for 35, the lowest score on record in a one-day international.

Streak, taking a break in a holiday resort with his family, said yesterday: "This is a proposal given to me, as an individual, and I still have to meet with the players in Harare and pass this on as I have understood it. It is then up to them to think it over and make a decision.

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"There is so much distrust of the ZCU that their promises will not be believed by any of the players."

Streak said the question of his captaincy was not an issue and he would tell players, as he had in the recent past, that if their grievances were sorted out he would be prepared to play under the new captain, Tatenda Taibu.

"Maybe some of them will not want to play unless I am the captain," Streak said, "but that is not the issue. The issue is the grievances. When those issues are sorted out, then the rest will fall into place."

A mediator, Much Musunda, a prominent and well-liked businessman, has been agreed by Streak and the ZCU and he will put his name forward to the dissident players, who will then have to decide whether or not to accept him.

Streak said: "They are looking for a neutral person. I will recommend Mr Musunda but it is up to them. There is not going to be an immediate solution here. It may take some time."

Meanwhile, the Australian government should consider paying a fine to allow the country's cricket team to withdraw from their tour of Zimbabwe, a senior member of prime minister John Howard's Liberal party said yesterday. Bronwyn Bishop, a former cabinet minister, said she had problems with the Australian team touring Zimbabwe. She said she backed player Stuart MacGill's decision to make himself unavailable.

She said the government should pay up to £1.1 million to the International Cricket Council to enable Australia to withdraw and allow players a conscience vote on the issue.